AUSTIN, Texas — A TxDPS trooper fatally shot the driver of a stolen Fort Worth Fire/EMS ambulance Thursday morning after the driver led law enforcement on a chase down I-35 and intentionally rammed multiple vehicles, closing the upper deck of the interstate for hours.

DPS said troopers were notified at 6:30 a.m. that a Fort Worth Fire/EMS ambulance had been stolen and was traveling southbound on I-35 in Williamson County.

“DPS troopers located the ambulance and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. When troopers activated their emergency lights, the driver refused to stop and began actively evading law enforcement,” said Sgt. Jason Galaviz with Texas DPS.

As the ambulance continued south near U.S. 290 in Austin, the driver began intentionally ramming multiple civilian vehicles, according to DPS. Troopers attempted to perform a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle, but those efforts were unsuccessful, DPS said.

As the pursuit continued DPS says the danger was escalating.

“The driver began intentionally ramming multiple civilian vehicles,” said Galaviz.

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A trooper then discharged a firearm, striking the driver, DPS said. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. The person’s identity had not been released.

The Texas Rangers are on scene and are actively investigating the officer-involved shooting, DPS said.

For drivers who regularly travel Austin’s roads, the chaos of the situation was unsettling.

“I drive for a living. Like I do home health physical therapy all around town. So, it’s really scary to have somebody like that on the roads who is slamming people or causing harm to others. So just crazy,” said Austin resident Victoria Daacon.

The closure was first announced by the Austin Police Department shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday. APD initially described it as an “active law enforcement” incident involving DPS and later updated its post to say the roadway would be closed from U.S. 183 into downtown Austin.

DPS said the southbound upper deck of I-35 will remain closed until the investigation is complete.

Police have urged drivers to avoid the area and use alternate routes.

The Texas Rangers are leading the investigation into how a Fort Worth ambulance was stolen and what happened in the moments before the DPS trooper fired the fatal shot.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.